Diploma in Advanced VFX (Virtual Production)

at Kwantlen Polytechnic University - Langley Campus Canada

Advanced Game Development is a full-time, two-year, cohort program comprised of industry-level courses covering game development’s core disciplines: art, design, programming and production. Students will create various assignments, projects and games that will be assembled into a portfolio that is fit for working in the games industry.

In the design courses, students will learn crucial skills for designers, such as critical analysis, creative problem solving, communication and collaboration. While covering in-depth design theory, students also get hands on practical software skills with various industry standard engines and design tools, such as Unreal, Unity and the Adobe Creative Suite.

The art courses focus on environment and character modelling, texturing, animation, technical art and procedural art, while also teaching foundational artistic theory that can be applied to any creative medium. Students will be able to produce their own art assets for their games.

In the programming courses, students will learn the latest industry techniques in the fields of game programing, networking, AI, rendering and more. Students will learn to work with Visual Scripting, but also dive into programming languages such s C# and Python. Students will learn how to build full games from the ground up, to make their creative visions a reality and have the practical production skills necessary for their career in game development.

Once sufficient foundational knowledge has been gained, students will work together in teams under tight time and creative constraints to create games and prototypes. This will teach students the importance of production and project management in an agile framework.

The program curriculum and the success of KPU's diploma graduates have established the Horticulture Technology Diploma with or without specialization as a highly valued credential in the workplace. The Diploma program combines theory and technique with best horticulture practice. Students learn how to use the tools and technologies that are an everyday part of industry workplace. The program also provides students with a foundation in horticulture science. Students develop an understanding of the environmental requirements for optimum plant growth. Best practice and sustainability are key learning outcomes.

All students must undertake a minimum 455 hours of 'Work Experience', typically completed between first and second year. This provides opportunity for students to apply their new skills and identify where their careers may lie after graduating.

Specialization Options
The Diploma in Horticulture Technology can be completed without specialization or by choosing one of three specializations:

• Landscape Horticulture Systems
• Sustainable Production Horticulture
• Turf Management

The KPU Creative Writing Department offers award-winning faculty, small class sizes, and a rigorous approach to the discipline of writing. The department is known for a strong sense of community which supports writers to discover their voice and develop their craft. Creative Writing provides learners with an excellent foundation in written communication skills as well as the development of divergent and creative thinking abilities. Graduates with these skills are highly sought in today's dynamic workplace.

Students who wish to major in Creative Writing are strongly encouraged to complete an Associate of Arts degree with a concentration in Creative Writing.

Students who receive an Associate of Arts degree in Creative Writing from KPU may have appropriate courses to enter the Creative Writing programs at the University of British Columbia (UBC), University of Victoria (UVic) or Vancouver Island University (VIU). However, program requirements and transfer of courses are set by the receiving institution. Details must be confirmed by the student. For information about transfer of credit amongst institutions in B.C. and to see how individual courses transfer, go to the BC Transfer Guide - bctransferguide.ca

The BBA in Marketing Management program includes intensive applied business training with an emphasis on marketing management, as well as new and emerging media and marketing analytics. The practical learning outcomes are grounded in curriculum that is accountable, global, team-based and uses contemporary quantitative and qualitative tools. Course content is industry driven and was developed in consultation with industry experts to ensure that KPU's BBA in Marketing Management graduates are ready to work. This degree is an appropriate goal for individuals who aspire to acquire leadership positions in the marketing profession.

The Bachelor of Journalism program is unique in B.C., featuring multimedia storytelling experience utilizing the most current technologies. Students use industry-standard software to produce journalism that draws on the full range of multimedia storytelling possibilities, including animation, interactivity, audio, and video. Students participate in academic studies and practical training through seminars, labs, and off-campus work experiences. The Journalism program prepares graduates for such positions as multi-media journalists, editors, researchers, and freelance writers. Our grads also work as communications professionals in such fields as media relations, corporate communications, and public relations. The Bachelor of Journalism gives students valuable transferable skills that can be put to use in many fields of endeavour, including working in a multimedia environment, using social media and journalistic research skills in professional settings, and understanding the many facets of the collection and dissemination of information via the media.

Communication Studies courses are also an important part of the program, including exploration of such issues as media law and ethics, media and diversity, and media and social change.
Faculty members in KPU's Journalism department include award-winning journalists with career experience and academic credentials. Many faculty members continue to work as journalists.

The one-year General Business Studies Certificate Program is designed to provide students with a broad range of fundamental business skills and an understanding of the business environment. Many classes are offered in the evening to accommodate part-time students.  The Certificate program requires completion of 10 courses and emphasizes real world business applications in key functional areas.

Students may select their elective courses according to the following guidelines for specialization in Business Management or Marketing and have the specialization documented on their transcript.

Courses in the certificate program may also be applied towards the Business Management Diploma program at KPU.

The Associate Degree is designed to provide an education experience that prepares students for work, citizenship, and an enriched life as an educated person, and to lay a solid foundation for further study in the field of Political Science.

The Associate Degree is designed to provide an educational experience that prepares students for work, citizenship, and an enriched life as an educated person, and to lay a solid foundation for further study in the field of Psychology.

Students with an Associate of Arts Degree in Psychology who are interested in continuing their degree studies at KPU can pursue the Bachelor of Applied Arts, Psychology degree, a Bachelor of Arts, Major in Psychology degree, a Bachelor of Science in Applied Psychology degree, or a Minor in Psychology when combined with another bachelor’s degree program. For more information, please see the BA Major or Minor in Psychology and BAA or B.Sc. Psychology program descriptions.

The Landscape Horticulture Systems program provides students an understanding of the landscape as an integrated network of various living and non-living systems including soil, plants, insects, fungi and the humans and animals that inhabit these landscapes.

The Landscape Horticulture Systems specialization provides students opportunities to learn basic horticulture science and develop valuable applied skills through hands on learning in the Kwantlen Polytechnic University Langley campus and local landscapes. With the knowledge gained by studying basic botany, plant identification, and soil science and plant heath, students learn how different elements and inputs interact and impact the function and sustainability of the landscape. Students learn to resolve and reduce the consequences of local landscape garden problems by applying their knowledge of landscape applications, pest management, and landscape construction, design and maintenance, including arboriculture and cost-estimating.

Graduates of the Landscape Horticulture Systems diploma program are highly valuable employees and managers in public parks and gardens, resorts, golf courses, and private landscape maintenance, design and construction companies.

The Bachelor of Arts, Major in Applied Geography is a unique, four-year Human Geography degree with an emphasis on the urban setting of human activity. The program is distinguished by the scope and sequencing of its skills development coursework. Required skills courses include those in qualitative methods, quantitative methods, geographic thought, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and research design.

These skills-development courses are woven into a lively and relevant topical curriculum featuring introductory lab-science courses in: physical geography; introductory and advanced human geography; economic, social, political, and urban geography; options for focused study of a variety of regions; and courses in natural hazards and environmental geography. Having established a foundation of information-handling skills early in the program, students are equipped to apply their knowledge to service and research projects incorporated into their third and fourth year courses.

Graduates who complete the Bachelor of Arts, Major in Applied Geography program are able to comprehensively understand a range of contemporary urban issues and problems, and possess the practical skills to address them. They are engaged citizens, well-positioned for employment in occupations requiring knowledgeable people capable of working with diverse types of information, or for further, graduate study in Geography and related fields.